Office of Research Services

Preliminary Proposals/White Papers

A pre-proposal (sometimes called a white paper, letter proposal, letter of intent,
preliminary proposal, pre-application, or concept paper) is a short description of
the proposed project. Usually, the purpose of a pre-proposal is to inform and interest
the potential sponsor in the project, resulting in a request for a more detailed formal
proposal. If the sponsor requires an institutional official to sign or submit the
pre-proposal, please contact the Office of Research Services early in the preparation process to determine if the pre-proposal should be routed
through the Cayuse SP system.